Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS, presents an interesting stress pattern for the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB combination. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings show a system that is heavily influenced by the graphics card, but with enough CPU headroom to avoid becoming the primary bottleneck at most configurations. The data indicates a playable experience at 1080p and 1440p with adjusted settings, while 4K requires significant compromises to maintain smooth performance.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and reveals the GPU-bound nature of this pairing in Evolve. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 135.7 at 1920x1080 to 92.2 at 2560x1440, a 32% reduction. Pushing further to 3840x2160 yields just 52.3 FPS, which is a 61% drop from the 1080p result. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 4060 Ti's 8 GB of VRAM and 288.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are the limiting factors as pixel count increases.

The scaling pattern shifts with the Low preset. At 1920x1080, the system produces 224.1 FPS, which drops to 146.5 at 1440p and 81.5 at 4K. The percentage reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 63.6%, slightly larger than the High preset's 61.5% drop. This suggests that at Low settings, where the CPU has less work to do, the GPU becomes even more dominant in determining the final frame rate.

For the Ultra preset, the numbers tell a similar story but with a more dramatic absolute decline. The average FPS at 1080p is 93.2, falling to 60.9 at 1440p and 34.4 at 4K. The 4K result is 63.1% lower than the 1080p figure, confirming that the most demanding settings place an unsustainable load on the GPU. The CPU, with its 16 cores and 24 threads, is not the limiting component here; its benchmark scores, such as the Cinebench R23 multicore result of 39000, far exceed what Evolve requires.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combination in Evolve?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 at Medium settings provides 172.4 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, High settings achieve 92.2 FPS, making it a viable option for high-refresh-rate monitors. The 3840x2160 resolution at High settings yields 52.3 FPS, which is below the smooth-playability mark.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at each resolution?

A: At 1080p, Ultra delivers 93.2 FPS versus High's 135.7 FPS, a 31.3% reduction. At 1440p, the gap widens: Ultra produces 60.9 FPS while High achieves 92.2 FPS, a 34% drop. At 4K, Ultra drops to 34.4 FPS compared to High's 52.3 FPS, a 34.2% reduction. The consistent penalty suggests Ultra's additional effects tax the GPU heavily.

Q: Is the CPU holding back the GPU in this game?

A: No. The Intel Core i7-13700K has a Passmark multithread score of 45887 and a single-thread score of 4333, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. The frame rate scaling with resolution changes indicates the RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB is the limiting factor, especially at 4K where the GPU's 8 GB VRAM capacity is likely exceeded.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Evolve?

A: Only with significant settings reductions. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 81.5, which is playable. Medium at 4K drops to 63.8 FPS, while High falls to 52.3 FPS. Ultra at 4K is not viable at 34.4 FPS. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s and 128-bit bus width are the primary constraints.

Q: What is the performance difference between the RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB and its closest rivals?

A: In the Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, the RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB scores 2913, which is identical to the GeForce GT 555M (deltaPct 0). It sits 0.2% ahead of the RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB and 0.7% ahead of the GT 650M. The GTX 860M is 1.5% faster. These results are not directly from Evolve but indicate the GPU's relative standing.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 47282. Its closest rival, the i7-13700KF, scores 47334, a 0.1% difference. The AMD EPYC 4364P is 0.3% slower, and the i9-12900F is 0.4% slower. The Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 is 0.5% slower. These small deltas show the CPU is well-matched to its peers.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 offers an excellent balance, delivering 172.4 FPS with no perceivable compromise in smoothness. Players targeting higher visual fidelity can use High at 1440p, which produces 92.2 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS standard for most displays. At 4K, the Low preset at 81.5 FPS is the only recommended option, as Medium (63.8 FPS) is borderline and High (52.3 FPS) falls below the smooth-playability threshold.

The Ultra preset is difficult to justify at any resolution. At 1080p it provides 93.2 FPS, but High already achieves 135.7 FPS, a 31.3% improvement. At 1440p, Ultra's 60.9 FPS is only marginally playable, while High's 92.2 FPS offers a far more comfortable margin. The data suggests that the visual difference between High and Ultra does not warrant the substantial frame rate sacrifice, particularly on the 8 GB VRAM GPU which may struggle with texture-heavy scenes at higher settings.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB ranks 723rd out of 1695 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the 57.3rd percentile, meaning roughly 43% of all tested combinations perform better in this specific game. Given the CPU's high standing (93rd percentile among all CPUs) and the GPU's lower percentile (17th among all GPUs), the ranking reflects the GPU's relative weakness in this title.

The ranking is not surprising when considering the GPU's benchmark results. The RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB scores 2913 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, a modest result. Its nearest rivals in that benchmark include the GT 555M, GT 650M, and GTX 860M, which are all older or lower-tier parts. This suggests that the RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB, despite its Ada Lovelace architecture and 22.06 TFLOPS FP32 performance, is not a top-tier performer in synthetic tests, and that translates to its mid-pack ranking in Evolve.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB plays the decisive role in this pairing's Evolve performance. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is the likely constraint at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 34.4. The GPU's boost clock of 2535 MHz and base clock of 2310 MHz are standard for the Ada Lovelace generation, but the memory configuration limits its ability to handle high-resolution textures.

The GPU's 22.06 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 344.8 GTexel/s texture rate are respectable on paper, yet the measured FPS in Evolve shows consistent scaling with resolution that points to memory bandwidth saturation. The 4K results at High (52.3 FPS) and Medium (63.8 FPS) are particularly telling, as they suggest the GPU cannot maintain the data throughput needed for higher settings. The GPU's 17th percentile ranking among all GPUs, based on its 2913 average benchmark score, confirms it is a mid-range part that will struggle with demanding scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best results. The Low preset achieves 224.1 FPS, Medium reaches 172.4 FPS, High produces 135.7 FPS, and Ultra manages 93.2 FPS. All settings at this resolution are playable, with even Ultra providing a frame rate above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably. Low produces 146.5 FPS, Medium 114.3 FPS, High 92.2 FPS, and Ultra 60.9 FPS. The Ultra result is just above the 60 FPS threshold, making it technically playable but with little headroom for demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low yields 81.5 FPS, Medium 63.8 FPS, High 52.3 FPS, and Ultra 34.4 FPS. Only the Low preset provides a comfortable experience, with Medium being borderline and High and Ultra falling below the playability standard. The pattern across all resolutions shows a consistent hierarchy: Low > Medium > High > Ultra, with the gaps widening as resolution increases.